Charles Darwin
English naturalist who set out the theory of evolution by natural selection
English naturalist whose On the Origin of Species (1859) presented evolution by natural selection. His later books applied evolutionary thinking to humans and to emotional expression.
Why this person matters
Darwin's work led psychologists to ask what mental traits are for and how humans connect to other animals. Alfred Russel Wallace reached the idea of natural selection independently, and Darwin's cousin Francis Galton took heredity in a direction Darwin did not endorse.
Main contributions
Natural selection
On the Origin of Species (1859) presented evolution by natural selection with supporting evidence. Wallace sent Darwin a similar theory in June 1858, and papers by both men were read at the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858.
Humans as animals
The Descent of Man (1871) argued for continuity between humans and other animals. It offered a racial classification while stressing that humans are one species, and Darwin argued against treating the so-called races as distinct species.
Emotional expression
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) was one of the first books to feature printed photographs. The photographer Oscar Rejlander supplied many of them and sometimes posed for expressions himself.
Context and limits
Darwin was a naturalist, not a psychologist. Galton proposed encouraging marriage within a caste of the naturally gifted; Darwin called this plan utopian and preferred to publicise the importance of inheritance and leave decisions to individuals. Galton named eugenics in 1883, after Darwin's death. Darwin opposed slavery. Several photographs in the 1872 book were posed, so they are staged illustrations, not neutral records.
In your introductory course
History and research methods.Appears in history, emotion and biological chapters as the source of evolutionary thinking about behaviour. The idea that facial expressions are shared across humans traces to his 1872 book.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 1.2. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1831
He sailed on HMS Beagle on 27 December; the voyage lasted until October 1836.
- 1858
Papers by Darwin and Wallace on natural selection were read at the Linnean Society of London.
- 1859
He published On the Origin of Species.
- 1871
He published The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex.
- 1872
He published The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.
Sources
- Victorian Web, Darwin chronologyReference work. Reference article inspected.
- Darwin Correspondence Project, Darwin's letters of 1858 to 1859 and the OriginUniversity. Institutional biography inspected.
- Darwin Correspondence Project, Oscar Rejlander photographsUniversity. Institutional biography inspected.
- Wikipedia, Charles DarwinReference work. Reference article inspected.